Best Outdoor Furniture: Dining Tables & Chairs

Thinking about a sweet table and chairs to move your home into the outdoors this spring and summer? How about a small one to fit on your balcony? How about a nice long one to sit in your yard? Updated from the last few years' lists, I've decided to go back to listing great outdoor tables and chairs that come in sets and apart. This year it is all new and arranged by price just for you. Enjoy and give me ALL your comments.

LOW

In this classic from the 2014 PS collection, Mathias Hahn updates the German beer garden table and bench (see below) in a lovely, clean way. Totally foldable but also durable for outdoors, and all pieces can be bought separately.

I've loved this German imported style for years. Durable, welcoming and super well priced, there's no plastic here, just old-fashioned metal and wood. The design is good for longer spaces and easily fits more or less on the bench. Buy all the pieces separately.

LOVE. Made in Italy and designed by EMU, this table and chairs are an update on the classic Parisian park chairs, and are light, durable and foldable. They are great for small spaces! "The steel frame is finished with a baked-on polyester powdercoat that stands up to the elements and withstands being folded and unfolded as your flexible seating needs change. The Arc En Ciel folds completely flat for convenient storage."

Growing up, this was the type of thing we had in our backyard. It's a great, simple design with powder coated steel, glass tops and UV resistant fabric. You can buy the table and chairs separately, and the chairs come in both red and blue.

On sale right now at CB2, this table and chairs combo will stylishly fill a very small footprint. The table is designed by Mark Daniel of Slate Design, and is stainless steel. The chairs (available in mint and black) are powder coated iron.

MEDIUM

The original French bistro table and chairs — all nicely collected up under one roof at ACHS. These are all powder coated, and come in a huge variety of colors. The tables come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, to suit pretty much any space, and are all foldable like the chairs.

Recommended by readers, R & B's Montego line can run you up in price, but it will last forever, and the Bellini chairs are awesome and not too expensive with it. It's a good investment. As they say, the table is made of "solid ipe and hand-welded, outdoor-grade stainless steel, making it as durable as it is eye-catching."

I chose this for the unusual use of powder coated Emeco chairs used outdoors. While the Kayu table is a lovely, simply designed teak table, which also comes with a bench, I like the mixing and matching with the aluminum chairs. This is a good idea and you could take the chairs and do the same yourself with another wood table to get the same nice contrast.

HIGH

My personal favorite if money is no object! The Finn Collection can come separately and the pieces are deliciously made from teak, stainless steel and Sunbrella fabrics. In addition, "The Finn Collection has been honored with a 2015 Architizer A+ Jury Award—selected by 300-plus international architecture and design leaders—and a 2014 Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award."

Recommended by reader Tallsarah, Kingsley Bate is a new resource for me with a very nice selection of sustainably harvested and beautifully made teak outdoor furniture. This is what Tallsarah says: "2 years ago we bought a Kingsley Bate brand teak table (seats up to 14 easily), two chairs and a bench. It was expensive (about $3,000 for the set), but since we plan to have it for at least 20 years, worth the price. We did not oil it, because in New England, it will last longer by letting it weather. It can stay outside year round, so no need to store."

From Europe and previously hard to source, this spectacular mid-century styled and super practical design is another favorite. Made of powder coated aluminum and steel, "the bounding elegance of the forms and the pastel green perforated surfaces are simply enchanting."

This classic teak collection of tables, chairs and loungers promises 25 years of service and is made of sustainably harvested, premium Grade-A teak, with mortise and tenon joinery and stainless steel hardware.

*Re-edited from a post that originally appeared 04.15.16. - NM

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